What started out as a night full of hope at the Idaho Democratic Party’s election watch party in downtown Boise went south quickly as results rolled in.
The first three speakers of the night — Democratic Chair Lauren Necochea, Boise Mayor Lauren McLean and Idaho Democratic Party Executive Director Jared DeLoof — spoke to a full crowd between sets of energetic songs. They spoke of the chance for Democratic lawmakers to make gains in the Idaho Legislature and Vice President Kamala Harris’ chances of winning the White House.
Within a few short hours, the feeling had changed.
Democrats have long struggled to win races in Idaho, a state where Republicans have had supermajority control of the Legislature for decades. Going into the night, Republicans controlled 83% of seats in the two chambers — the kind of majority that allows the GOP caucus to write laws as it pleases.
A few areas in the state remained decidedly or flickeringly blue before Tuesday, especially parts of Boise. In those areas with glimmers of blue, Democrats hoped to pick up and defend seats. They outraised the state’s Republican Party by a 2.5:1 margin and drew $70,000 from the Democratic National Committee to invest in minority voter turnout .